This invention relates to a core assembly for use in a sand mold to cast a hollow section in a coupler head extending continuously beyond a horn line at the rear of the coupler head into a coupler shank. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a core assembly having mating surfaces along a parting line with interfitting projections including a conical projection receivable in a conical recess for maintaining the core sections in a desired position and aligned relation for producing a coupler casting having various combinations of coupler head configurations with coupler shank configurations.
As is known in the art, it is the usual practice to produce a core member in a core box to define, when placed in a sand mold, a hollowed section in a coupler for a railway vehicle. The hollow section extends from the coupler shank continuously into the head portion of the coupler. A secondary core element is used to produce an opening at the rear of the shank for a pin or key to connect the coupler casting to a yoke. A different core box is used to make the cores for casting various different coupler combinations. Thus, for example, different core boxes are required to cast an E-coupler, an E/F coupler and an F-coupler. The number of core boxes is increased because in each type of coupler, different shank designs and different shank lengths must be supplied to meet existing requirements. Therefore, a relatively large number of core boxes is required to meet the needs for a multiplicity of coupler combinations with a required length shank. Dimensional consistency of the core designs at any given transverse section has not been achieved principally because there was no need to maintain a consistent dimensional core cross section. The transverse dimensions of the shank core are usually a result of the need to maintain a minimum shank wall thickness at the hollowed-out portion provided by the core. Since individual core boxes were used to form the main core for the casting, it was immaterial whether the cross-sectional dimensions in the shank core were identical for all coupler cores.
With the foregoing in mind and the ever-present problem of reducing or at least maintaining the cost of couplers for railway vehicles within acceptable limits, it has been discovered that measures can be taken to reduce the cost of manufacturing the core used in a sand mold for casting the coupler. The present invention is based on the discovery that the primary or principal core used for casting a coupler for a railway vehicle is divided into two parts along a plane parallel with and spaced rearwardly of the head core section by a relatively small distance from a plane containing the horn line. Interchangeability of head core sections with shank core sections is assured for virtually all combinations of head and shank designs including shank length requirements by providing consistent and uniform transverse dimensions and edge profiles at the parting line between all core sections.